Machine for attaching electric terminal



Dec. 13, 1955 H. c. LOWELL Filed Jan. 12, 1955 MACHINE FOR ATTACI-IING EIIECTRIC TERMINAL 2 Sheets Sheetl /a'' g; "i

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United States Patent-O MACHINE FOR ATTACHING ELECTRIC TERMINAL Howard C. Lowell, East Providence, R. 1., assignor' to Patton-MacGuyer Co., a corporation of Rhode Island Application January 12, 1955, Serial No. 481,420

6 Claims. (Cl. 1--224) This invention relates to a machine for attaching electric terminals to a support therefor, particularly attaching electric terminals to terminal boards which are sometimes referred to'as resistor boards, terminal strips, or tie point strips.

The electric terminals of terminal boards with which I am familiar are usually attached and secured to the board by means of eyelet connectors which are riveted in position and which may or may not be formed integral with the terminal. In upsetting the eyelet to rivet the same in place, the upsetting tool strikes the eyelet a blow which is transmitted to the board. Certain of these terminal boards are made of some synthetic material which produces a board of a somewhat brittle character which oftentimes will crack or break when subjected to the usual blow or pressure required for riveting the prior art connector eyelet.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine for bending the attaching arms or prongs of an electric terminal about the material placed between the prongs in a manner whereby the prongs will be bent in securing position by means of a resilient force applied thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine for bending the attaching prongs of an electric terminalabout the material placed between the prongs by means of a resilient force applied on the prongs generally at right angles thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine for bending the attaching prongs of an electric terminal about the material placed between the prongs by means of. a resilient rolling contact between the force applying means and the said prongs.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a die set having. force applying arms which: are resiliently mounted for movement towards and: past each other to engage: the prongs with a pushing action at substantially right angles thereon.

With these and' other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a front elevationalview of a fragmentary portion of a machine embodying my invention for attaching electric terminals to a terminal board;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view ofthe machine as viewed from the right of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on a larger scale of a fragmentary portion of the front end portion of the machine;

Figures 4, 5, and 6 are similar views of the crimping tool elements of the dies showing several different stages of the" operating cycles of the machine;

Figure 7 is an elevational view of a modification of oneof the crimping tool elements of the upper die;

Figure 8 is av perspective view of a resistor board par: ticularly' adapted for attachment thereto of electricterminals by the apparatus of the preceding figures;

2,726,394 Patented Dec. 13, 1955 Figure 9 is a perspective view of a strip of electric terminals; and

Figure 10 is a view of a fragmentary portion of the bending die part or tool illustrating the relation thereof to prongs of the terminal bent thereby.

The invention in the present instance is particularly concerned with attaching an electric terminal to a terminal board which may be of a brittle nature and breakable when subjected to the usual harsh blow by a fold ing or bending of the attaching prongs and the like of the terminal. The terminal board is provided at each side margin with a plurality of closely spaced elongated openings which are separated from each other by a web portion which is of a size to be received between the attaching arms or prongs of the terminal and over which web the prongs are bent and crimped to secure the terminal to the board.

The apparatus for bending and crimping the prongs over the said web portion according to the invention in general comprises a die set having upper and lower dies. The upper die is slidably mounted for movement towards and from the lower die and is adapted to be actuated by a power source, as for example an air motor or so-called air cylinder. A pair of oppositely disposed arms which extend towards each other in juxtaposition and overlap in a vertical plane are pivotally mounted for rocking movement in a generally vertical direction. A spring bias on the arms tends to move and hold the same in the lower position against a limit stop. There is means provided for advancing an electric terminal,

usually in strip form, to the lower die with the attaching arms or prongs of the terminal facing upwardly in position to receive therebetween the web of a terminal board about which the said prongs are to be crimped. The web may be manually positioned in place between the prongs and the upper die lowered to resiliently engage the free end of the arms against the board at a location opposite the said prongs which extend upwardly beyond the said web. Upon further movement of the upper die in the same direction, the arms will move along the board toward each other because of their being rockably mounted and engage the said prongs which are in their path of movement and bend the same about the web held between the prongs.

In order to facilitate the bending and crimping of the said prongs, the free ends of the arms may be rounded whereby the point of the prongs may be progressively engaged from the pointed end inwardly as the arms are moved towards each other. This rounded end portion may take the form of a roller rotatably mounted so as to have a rolling contact with the said prongs as the same are crimped in position.

Referring to the drawing for a more detailed description, 10 designates generally an apparatus or machine having a body portion 11 on which is mounted a die set designated generally 12. The lower die 13 is in the present instance in the form of an anvil having an upper flat side 14 and is secured to the base 15 as by means of cap screws 16. The anvil (see Figure 3) is recessed inwardly from the side 14 as at 17 for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

The upper die 19 has a pair of opposite bearing openings 20 (see Figure 1) which are slidably received on guide post 21 rising from the base 15 and is adapted to be moved toward and from the lower die 13 by means of a power source, for example an air cylinder (not shown), the plunger 22 of which is slidably guided in bearing opening 23 in the body 11. A trunnion 25 which projects from the upper side of the die 19 is received in a central bore 26 in plunger 22 and a set screw or the like 27 secures the trunnion to the said plunger to move in unison therewith.

The upper die 19 carries a pair of arms 28 which are oppositely disposed to extend toward each other in juxtaposition and overlap in parallel vertical planes (see Figures l, 2). The arms 28 are each pivotally attached as at 30 for rocking movement in a generally vertical plane. A bore 32 extends inwardly from the lower side of the die 19 in line with the overlapping portions of the arms 28. A plunger or pin 34 is slidably received in the bore 32 so as to engage the said overlapping portions of the arms and is biased into engagement therewith by a compression spring 33 so as to tend to move the arms to the lower end of their rocking path against limit stops 35 (see Figures 1 and 4). The free ends of the arms may be rounded as at 29 (see Figure 7) but preferably each carries a rotatable roller 36, 36, the periphery of which projects beyond the free end of the arms. The adjacent sides of the rollers are in juxtaposition and of a combined thickness at least equal to the width of the attaching prongs of the electric terminal 37.

A strip T. S. of terminals 37 is shown in Figure 8, each terminal having a pair of attaching arms or prongs 38 which are oppositely disposed and slant edgewise in opposite directions. Each terminal is connected to the other by a neck 39 which is severed during the operation of crimping the prongs about the material held therebetween as will hereinafter appear. The strip terminals from a supply roll (not shown) are advanced to the lower die 13 by a feed mechanism designated generally 40 (see Figure 2) through a guide trough 41, the inner edge of which extends to a location substantially flush with the vertical side edge 17 of recess 17. The strip T. S. is fed through the trough 41 to advance the leading terminal 37 thereof to the die by means of a slide 42 (Figure 2) having a feed finger 43 which extends into the trough and is adapted to engage the back edge of a pair of prongs 38 and advance the strip during the feed movement of the slide 42. A fiat spring 44 engages the feed finger 43 to bias the same against the strip terminal T. S. On the return of the feed stroke, the strip T. S. is blocked against reversed movement by usual means (not shown) forming part of the feed mechanism and well known to workers in the art. The finger 43 will ride over the prongs of the terminal and under bias of spring 44 will drop behind the back edge of a pair of prongs to be in position for a next feed cycle operation. In the present instance the feed slide 42 is actuated by means of an air cylinder 45, the plunger of which may be attached to the slide 42 in a known manner.

The terminal board 47 (see Figure 8) to which the terminals are to be attached is of a rectangular form having a plurality of rectangular openings 48 in the margins of opposite edges thereof. These openings are separated rfom each other by a web portion 48' which is of a Width slightly less than the spacing between the prongs 38.

At the start of an operating cycle of the machine thus far described, the various parts thereof will be substantially in the relation shown in Figures 1 and 2. The feed 40 may be set into action by manipulation of appropriate known air cylinder controls (not shown) to advance the leading terminal to the die 13 at such a location as to position the prongs 38 thereof centrally beneath roller 36 (see Figures 1 and 3). The under side projecting portion or arms 38 lie in the recess 17. Referring to Figure 10, it will be seen that roller 36 is at the outer side of a vertical plane 49 extending centrally widthwise of prongs 38 and that roller 36' extends on the inner side of plane 49 in a like manner. The feed 40 after reaching the end of its feed stroke, comes to rest. The board 47 may now be inserted over the terminal as by inserting the prongs in adjacent openings 48 with the web 48 positioned between prongs 38 which will extend upwardly beyond the upper side or surface of the board 47 as in Figure 4. The

plunger 22 will now be actuated to lower the die 19 and arms 28 in unison, the rollers 36, 36 resiliently engaging the board 47 at each side of the prongs 38 (see Figure 5). Upon the rollers engaging the board 47 and further lowering movement of die 19, a relative movement will be had between arms 28 and die 19 against the bias of spring 33 tending to hold the rollers engaged with the surface of said board 47. This movement will cause rollers 36, 36' to roll along the board 47 towards each other and to engage the prongs 38 which are positioned in their path of travel. It will be seen in Figure 5 that the rollers Will first engage the point of the prongs and continue progressively inwardly along the prongs to bend the same. As the rollers continue to advance towards each other, the prongs 38 will be sufiiciently bent over so that upon the rollers advancing past each other (see Figure 6) each roller will engage both prongs and crimp the same on the web 48'.

During the engagement of the rollers 36, 36' with the prongs 38, a knife 50 (see Figure 3) carried by the die 19 is lowered in unison with the die to engage the neck 39 and in co-operation with the vertical edge 17 severs the advanced end terminal 37 from the strip.

At the end of the lowering stroke of die 19, a trip control (not shown) and which may be of known usual construction is engaged to actuate the return stroke of plunger 22 and return feed stroke of feed 40.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that the crimping tool element of the die is resiliently engaged with the prongs of the terminal as distinguished from the usual harsh blow struck in securing a terminal in place. It will be further observed that the crimping tool has a rolling contact with the prongs and the force applied for bending the prongs is generally at right angles to the said prongs and substantially parallel to the surface of the board. It will also be apparent the invention has broad application, as for example crimping the arms of electric terminals about the insulated end portion of electric conductors. It will be further apparent that the invention may be practiced in bending opposite side portions of members about material placed between said opposite portions.

I claim:

1. A machine for crimping the prongs of an electric terminal about material placed between said prongs comprising a support on which said terminal is placed in position to receive the said material between said prongs, and a crimping tool movable to engage said prongs to bend and crimp the same about the'said material, said crimping tool comprising a pair of oppositely disposed pivoted rockable arms extending towards each other and movable toward each other to engage and bend said prongs about said material placed therebetween, and resilient means engaging and holding said arms engaged with said prongs during the crimping thereof about said material.

2. A machine for attaching the prongs of an electric terminal about material placed between said prongs comprising a die set having a stationary die and a die movable toward and from the stationary die, crimping tool elements carried by the movable die movable therewith and relative thereto, and means for reciprocating said movable die and said crimping tool elements in unison towards said stationary die and for moving said crimping elements on an axis perpendicular to the reciprocating axis of said movable die to engage and crimp said prongs on the material placed between said prongs.

3. A machine as defined in claim 2 including resilient means carried by the movable die and engaging said crimping elements to hold said crimping element engaged with said prongs during the crimping thereof about said material.

4. A machine for attaching a pair of prongs of an electric terminal about material placed between said prongs comprising a die set having upper and lower dies, said upper die mounted for reciprocation towards and from the lower die, a pair of arms pivotally secured to the upper die on axes perpendicular to the axis of reciprocation for movement therewith and relative thereto, said arms extending toward each other in overlapping relation with the end portion of one arm in line with one of said prongs and the end portion of the other arm in line with the other of said prongs, means for moving the upper die and said arms in unison towards the lower die to engage said arms with said prongs, said arms moving past each other across said prongs to bend and crimp the same about the material placed between the said prongs, and resilient means carried by the movable die and extending into engagement with said arms to hold the same engaged with said prongs during the crimping thereof about said material.

5. A machine for attaching a pair of prongs of an electric terminal to a terminal board having a plurality of prong receiving openings separated by a web portion adapted to be positioned between the said prongs, comprising a support on which said terminal is placed in position to receive the said web, and a pair of oppositely disposed arms mounted for movement towards said support and for movement toward each other generally parallel to said support, and means for moving said arms to engage said board at each side of said prongs and for movement along said board to engage said prongs to bend and crimp the same about said web, and a spring pressed plunger engaging said arms to hold the same engaged with said prongs during the crimping thereof about said web.

6. A machine for attaching a pair of prongs of an electric terminal to a terminal board having a plurality of prong receiving openings separated by a web portion adapted to be positioned between the said prongs, comprising a support in which a terminal having a pair of spaced prongs is placed in position to receive the said web, a pair of oppositely disposed arms mounted for movement towards said support and for movement towards each other generally parallel to said support, means for moving said arms to engage said board at each side of said prongs and for movement along said board to bend and crimp said prongs about said web, and resilient means holding said arms engaged with said prongs during the crimping thereof about said web.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 200,774 Somers Feb. 26, 1878 447,314 Grunich Mar. 3, 1891 2,024,416 Allison Dec. 17, 1935 2,173,390 Burns Sept. 19, 1939 2,186,569 Bacon Jan. 9, 1940 2,348,237 Barr May 9, 1944 2,690,562 Cootes Oct. 5, 1954 

